Messrs Marauders
by andeisawesome
Summary: Remus, James, Sirius, and Peter have seven years to get up to all sorts of shenanigans in the magical world of Hogwarts. They will discover secrets, fall in love, and cement the ties of brotherhood. This is their story.
1. Chapter 1

Note: I own nothing from the Harry Potter universe. J.K. Rowling is awesome and rightfully owns it all.

July 1971

A sandy-haired eleven year old looked up from his book and sighed as he idly watched a bird fly off outside of his window. All around the country, magical boys and girls his age were getting the most important post of their lives. Owls were zooming off to bring them a letter welcoming them to Hogwarts, a boarding school for students of the magical arts. Remus wanted nothing more than to join them, but he would never be allowed at Hogwarts. If he was being honest with himself, Remus knew that he shouldn't be allowed at Hogwarts. He would never want to endanger the students.

Remus was shaken from his reverie by a loud knock that caused some loose paint to shake off the shabby cottage's front door. His parents, Hope and Lyall, were on their feet in seconds. Hope frantically motioned for Remus to go back to their bedroom. Lyall's long fingers loosely grasped his wand. Remus sighed as he slipped into the bedroom and out of sight. He liked the small cottage. It had a welcoming warmth to it and Remus was not eager to leave. They had only moved here a few months ago, and so far the country setting had dissuaded any neighbors from popping by with inconvenient questions.

Remus, who had always been a curious sort, peeked his head around the corner to see his parents trying to bar entry to an elderly wizard with an impressive beard that flowed down near his waistline. Remus surveyed the man and had never had less doubt in his life that someone was magical. The wizard's deep purple robes shimmered around him and the hilt of his wand was clearly visible. Blue eyes shone from the man's wrinkled face and quickly connected with Remus' own. The man winked over the rim of his half-moon spectacles.

Remus hurried to shut the door and grabbed for the little pot of Floo powder that was perched above the fireplace. He knew his parents would want him to escape and meet up with them later, but Remus was having trouble reaching the Floo powder. On his second attempt, Remus hand connected with some soft, grey fibers. Remus realized that he was grasping a handful of the mysterious man's beard and leapt backwards with a yelp.

The man grabbed Remus' arm and steadied him while smiling brightly at the boy. Remus knew that he should be frightened, but something about this man's presence filled him with warmth. "My dear boy, Albus Dumbledore, pleased to make your acquaintance" the man said while handing him a rather nice leather bag filled with huge set of gobstones. Remus took it with a look of confusion. Dumbledore smiled at him and said "The gobstones are for you. Let's go have a nice game while your parents calm down a bit."

In fact, when Remus' parents (believing they had successfully rid themselves of Dumbledore) came to check on him a few minutes later, they found Remus and Dumbledore happily playing a fierce game of gobstones. Dumbledore stood up at their presence and offered them a crumpet. This in no way lessened their apprehension and Hope pulled Remus close to her.

"Relax, I'm not here to expose anyone's secrets or harm you in anyway" Hope and Lyall looked far from convinced. "I'm just here to offer Remus a place at my school, Hogwarts" Lyall looked crestfallen. He knew how much this meant to his son, and he hated for Dumbledore to get his Remus' hopes up. "Remus is unfortunately not well enough to attend Hogwarts" Lyall said, hoping that Dumbledore would not question his illness. Dumbledore smiled gently, "I know all about Remus' condition. Lycanthropy, while serious, should not keep the boy out of school. I have taken some precautions, and he will be most welcome at my school."

Remus followed the conversation like a Quidditch match, eyes darting back and forth between the speakers. He felt the need to speak at this point though. "Sir, I won't go to school. I would like to, but I won't endanger anyone else." Dumbledore beamed at the politeness of the boy and addressed him directly. "There won't be any danger to worry about. We have purchased a small house in the local village and were able to enchant so that you can transform without putting anyone in danger." Remus glanced up at his parents to see how they would react to this news. He clearly wasn't going to believe that school was a possibility until one of them acknowledged it.

Lyall and Hope pulled Dumbledore aside and had a brief conversation about all of the precautions that would be taken to protect Remus and the other students. Remus stood to the side and tried to adjust to the fact that this man was aware of his darkest secret and did not hate him. Remus' parents had been very careful so that people did not learn that their son was a werewolf, but on the rare occasions that someone figured it out, Remus was met with disgust and violence.

Remus' heart fluttered when his father gave him a thumb's up from across the room. The adults walked back over to Remus with smiles on every face. Dumbledore bent to look him in the eye. "Well, Remus, it is up to you. Would you like a place at Hogwarts?" Remus looked once more at his parents to make sure that they agreed, before nodding fervently. Remus couldn't imagine what life would be like surrounded by people his own age, but for the first time, he had a chance to live it.

A/N: First fanfic. I will try to update often, but with the holidays coming up I may get distracted.


	2. Chapter 2

July 1971

"James you have a letter" Euphemia, a cheerful looking woman in her late fifties, sung up the stairs. A bespectacled boy with fine black hair ran past his mirror which was still trying critique his appearance. James flew into the kitchen and grabbed the letter unceremoniously out of the owl's clutches. Euphemia and Fleamont Potter beamed with pride. The whole family had been anticipating this letter all summer. Euphemia began to cry as James read out the class list. James was their only son, and they would miss him terribly. Fleamont just smiled. He clearly remembered the wonder of his Hogwarts days, and he couldn't wait to share the adventure with James. It would be good for James to be in a place where he wasn't doted on every second, Fleamont thought with chagrin.

James couldn't believe he finally had his Hogwarts letter. He had heard about Hogwarts his whole life. James reveled in every item on the list. He couldn't wait to go to Diagon Alley and pick up a wand of his own. He smiled at his parents and sent his reply quickly back to Hogwarts. James would be on the Hogwarts Express on September 1st.

July 1971

Sirius Black, a confident boy with the good looks to back it up, was just as excited as James to get his letter. For once the cool glare of his mother, did not cause the grin to slide off his face. Sirius giddily took the letter from the school owl and ran upstairs. He opened is gleaming leather trunk and began to pack. Sirius couldn't wait to leave his home behind.

Walburga Black, Sirius' mother, appeared in the doorway. Her silvery robes seemed impossibly stiff and her jet black hair was in a rigid bun. "Hogwarts, hmph, don't know that I would set much by an education there these days" She exclaimed. "Still, you understand what are expectations are. You will not associate with mudbloods or blood traitors. You are the heir to the Noble House of Black and you will be a credit to Slytherin."

Sirius swallowed slightly. He knew that generations of Blacks had been placed in Slytherin. It would almost definitely be his home. Still, the way his cousins Andromeda and Bellatrix described the common room reminded him far too much of the attitude and décor of Grimmauld Place. It certainly wouldn't help that so many of his cousins would share it with him. Most of Sirius' relations made his skin crawl.

He shook off the chill that had crossed his shoulders, and found to his relief that Walburga had returned to order breakfast from Kreacher. Sirius knew that his presence would be expected at the table in five minutes. He could hear his brother, Regulus, make his descent into the dining room. Sirius, however, was in no hurry. He carefully folded some more of his clothes and placed them in his trunk. Sirius glanced around the room to see if there was anything hanging on the walls that he wanted to take with him, but he didn't want any reminders of this house at Hogwarts. He knew that he still had an agonizing month to wait, but the open trunk in front of him shone like a beacon. It was finally real. Sirius Black was breaking out of Grimmauld Place. He could hear the dulcet tones of his mother as she screeched for him to return downstairs, but Sirius just flopped back on to his bed with satisfaction. He would make Kreacher come and get him this morning.

July 1971

Peter Pettigrew sat in his squashy orange armchair and tried to blink the sleep out of his eyes. The short blonde boy had been once again awoken by the ruckus in the neighboring room. His parents were screaming at each other. His fingers traced the orange threads that ran up and down the chair. Peter could hear nearly every word that was spoken, and apparently money was tight again. His parents were so loud that he almost didn't hear the knocking at the window. He leapt to his feet when he noticed the tawny owl and hurried to take the post from him. Peter looked over his letter with glee.

He quickly scrawled his RSVP on the owl's proffered parchment and began to greedily soak in the contents of the letter. His mother would have to take him to Diagon Alley to purchase the spellbooks and wand, and Peter carefully looked at the options of pets. He hoped he would be able to convince his mother that he needed a pet. He was a little apprehensive about making friends. If Peter had a nice pet, people would have a reason to talk to him. Peter waited for the shouts to die down before poking open his parents' door to show them the letter. He hoped that if he did well at school, his parents might fight less. It should at least lift some of the financial burden with one less mouth to feed.

A/N: Thanks so much to my reviewers! It means a lot!


	3. Chapter 3

Note: Everything from the Harry Potter books comes from J.K. Rowling. I own nothing.

September 1st 1971

James bounced ahead of his parents nearly running towards the scarlet train. His father, who was pulling James' luggage, chuckled at his son's expanding excitement. Fleamont remembered his days at Hogwarts with astounding clarity considering they had taken place quite some time ago. They finally reached the steam engine and James turned to his parents with hesitation in his eyes for the first time. "Be good, make new friends, and for pity's sake, try to learn something" Euphemia said as she hugged her son tightly. James turned to his dad, and was unprepared for the emotion that he saw brimming behind his deep blue eyes. "These will be some of best years of your life. I am sure of it, but we will miss you while you are gone." Fleamont gave his son a tight squeeze around the shoulders and handed over the cart of luggage. "Be sure to write. We love you!" Euphemia added as her son gathered his luggage.

James turned towards the train with a final wave and swallowed the lump that was forming in his throat. Christmas suddenly seemed a long way off. At that moment, he caught the eye of a black-haired boy that was gleefully racing towards the train. The boy put a finger to his lips and quietly pulled what looked like a dozen toy soldiers out of his pocket. As soon as the toys were free among the crowd, they climbed jackets and trunks shouting nonsensical orders at the crowd. James watched as a blonde boy with a shiny P badge on his chest was accosted by three toy soldiers that were demanding he promptly do some jumping jacks. James grinned broadly at the mayhem, and his homesickness was completely forgotten.

He pulled his luggage over to the black haired boy and stood saluting him. "James Potter at your service sir!" James said in his best drill sergeant voice. The boy grinned and barked back "At ease, soldier". Both boys burst into laughter.

"I'm Sirius. Reckon we should find a compartment?" the boy asked, and they helped each other load their luggage onto the train still rather giggly. The boys had a tough time finding a compartment. Nearly all of them were full or occupied by older students that looked like the sort who shouldn't be disturbed. They finally found a compartment near the back that had three other first years in it. There was dark red-haired girl who was crying softly in the corner and two boys who seemed to be debating offering up some sort of comfort.

Sirius and James would generally avoid this kind of situation, but every other compartment seemed full. They unceremoniously dumped their luggage and introduced themselves. The girl told them her name was Lily, but didn't seem in the mood to talk more. The short blonde boy who looked unsure of himself was named Peter, and the boy with light brown hair and thin scars crossing his face was Remus. They all seemed a little awkward and unsure of what to do about the presence of a sniffling girl. James decided to break the silence.

"Where did you get those toy soldiers?" He asked. "I found them on our street this summer after a muggle boy dropped them. My uncle Alphard helped me enchant them when I stayed with him."

"Wow, you did that. That's really advanced" Remus looked impressed. "One of them climbed my mum's jacket" Peter added unexpectedly. Sirius looked a little abashed "I'm sorry mate". Peter was smiling though, the memory of the tiny green man marching up his mother's coat was clearly amusing him. They all began to boisterously swap anecdotes about the army men, and the conversation turned naturally to pranks. It seemed that James and Sirius had quite a few shenanigans under their belt, but Remus and Peter hadn't found the joys of troublemaking yet. James joked about corrupting them, and Remus surprised himself by nodding.

Remus was shocked with how easy he found the conversation. It had been so long since he had talked to other children that he was a little surprised he remembered how. Remus knew that he would have to be careful to not get too close to anyone. It would be too dangerous if his secret got out. He didn't see much harm in being friendly with these boys though, after all, it was pretty unlikely that they would end up in the same house.

He had been so focused on his loud conversation with the other boys that he hadn't even noticed the sallow faced boy with lank hair walk in. Remus heard the new boy loudly telling Lily that she should be in Slytherin. He thought that was an odd choice of house, but supposed that every house had its benefits.

"Slytherin?" James exclaimed with obvious disgust. "Who wants to be in Slytherin? I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?" James asked Sirius. Sirius looked extremely uncomfortable. He had avoided telling James his last name hoping this subject wouldn't come up. "My whole family have been in Slythern" he said. "Blimey, and I thought you seemed all right!" James replied. Sirius let himself smile. James hadn't turned on him yet. "Maybe I'll break the tradition. Where are you heading, if you've got the choice?" James beamed and answered with a theatric voice "Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart! Like my dad."

The boy with the limp hair had been forgotten until this point. He made a disparaging noise, and James turned angrily on him. "Got a problem with that?" he snapped. Snape sneered at him "No, If you'd rather be brawny than brainy"

"Where're you hoping to go, seeing as you're neither?" Sirius shot back. He already felt incredibly protective of his new friends. Lily sat up looking angry at the two boys. Now it was her friends being attacked. "Come on, Severus, let's find another compartment." Lily said before leading the boy away. "See ya, Snivellus!" James yelled as a parting shot at the boy's retreating back. Remus was surprised at how quickly that had escalated. He began to worry about saying the wrong thing to these boys once more.

The tension filled the compartments for a few more minutes. James murmured a small "thanks" in Sirius' direction and conversation slowly returned. By the time the trolley came a few minutes later, the boys were laughing loudly again. They all bought treats from the trolley and James and Sirius bought several kinds of candy to stockpile for the year ahead. They ate candy and talked about everything from quidditch to muggle rock bands until the train puffed to a halt at a small dark platform. The boys had finally arrived at Hogwarts.

A/N:dungbombacidpops- The differences in the years were just a typo. That's what I get for late night writing. Thanks for reviewing and pointing it out!


	4. Chapter 4

September 1, 1971

They stepped off the platform and looked lost among the throng of students rushing in every direction. Remus was glad that their luggage would be take up to the school later. He didn't think he could hold on to it in this crowd. The boys huddled in a corner debating about whether to follow the line of older students that seemed to know where they were going. They had been told that first years went to the castle separately, but no one mentioned how. Sirius and James wanted to follow the older students. Remus briefly mentioned asking someone where to go, but the idea was quickly shot down. Peter just wanted to stay put.

Finally, they saw the glow of a lamp that went far above the students' heads. Even in the din of noise, they could still hear the booming voice. "Firs' years! Firs' years over here." The boys rushed to follow the sound in relief. Sirius, who was in the lead, stopped abruptly. James and Remus collided into him, and Peter toppled over bringing down an unhappy looking Severus in his wake.

A fight probably would have ensued had they not been staring open-mouthed at the enormous an in front of them. His face was lit ominously by the swinging lantern, and the boys could see mounds of bushy hair sprouting in all directions from it. They all took a few steps back before realizing that hidden in the beard was a broad smile. "All right there boys? I'm Rubeus Hagrid" the large man called as the rest of the first years pooled around them. James, Remus, and Peter timidly smiled back at the man. Sirius looked a little confused, but managed a small grin himself. Sirius had grown up with stories about dangerous half-breeds, and this man looked certainly looked like he had some giant's blood in him. Sirius pushed the thought away though. He didn't think anyone with a drop of giant's blood would be allowed around the students of Hogwarts. This man was probably just an unfortunate victim of an engorgement charm gone wrong.

When everyone had gathered, Hagrid led them down a very steep path. Hagrid had to keep stopping and waiting for the first years to catch up. They turned sharply around a bend and reached a lake with startlingly black waters. All of the first years were distracted from this, however, by the view of the magnificent castle sitting just across the lake. There were many muttered ooohs and ahhs. Sirius stared at the castle for a long moment taking in everything from the turrets to the way the many windows glinted in the moonlight. He smiled widely at the other boys and simply said "home". They could not have agreed more.

Hagrid finally got everyone's attention and led the first years over to the little boats that were happily swaying into each other at the edge of the lake. "No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called, and there was a great scuffle to find newly made friends to sit with. The boys were happy that their group was already formed, and they hopped into one of the first boats available. Once Hagrid finally got everyone into a boat and separated a noisy group of six girls who were insisting that they all sit together, he took his place in the last empty boat. "Forward" Hagrid yelled, and without warning the boats shot off gliding smoothly across the lake's surface.

All four boys enjoyed the trip greatly. They skimmed their fingers across the surface of the lake and rocked the boat back and forth to make the trip more exciting. James was joking about tossing Peter overboard, but he caught Remus' small disapproving look and thought better of it. Sirius let loose a loud maniacal laugh when they went into a dark tunnel and grinned when a few people screamed in fear. James, Peter, and Remus promptly felt the need to try out their own evil laughs. They reached the end of the lake with a thud as the boats collided with land and Hagrid led them over to a set of giant oak doors.

The doors were quickly opened to reveal a tall witch with gleaming black hair that was pulled into a tight bun. Her face was set in a thin line that seemed to scream discipline. Nearly all of the first years got quiet immediately. James, who was turned to face Sirius, let loose one last evil sounding laugh until the witch came and rested her hand on his shoulder. James was instantly silent and the other three boys had a hard time not snickering at his expression. "I will take them from here Hagrid" the witch said briskly, and she led them into the entrance hall. Her hand never left James' shoulder.

The tall witch led them into a small chamber within the school before finally releasing the scared looking James. "Welcome to Hogwarts. My name is Professor McGonagall" the witch said before giving them a small smile for the first time. "The start of term feast will begin shortly, but first we must sort all first years into your houses. While you are attending Hogwarts, your House will be your family. You will have classes without your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your House common room. There are four houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has a noble history. Your triumphs will earn your House points, while rule-breaking will lose House points" McGonagall's eyes seemed to flit over the four boys as she spoke the last line.

"I will be back in a moment to start the sorting." McGonagall ended. The group was left alone, and everyone looked frightened. James seemed sure that he would be placed in Gryffindor, but the other three boys had their doubts. Peter did not feel brave, smart, cunning, or just. He was mainly worried about being placed in a house with his new friends. Peter didn't want to have to make friends again, and these boys had already accepted him. Sirius knew that he would probably be placed in Slytherin. He didn't want to see the look on James' face when he went to sit with the opposite house. Sirius also really didn't want to associate with his cousins in Slytherin. Remus was also pretty sure that he was going to Slytherin. It seemed the darkest of the four houses, and he knew the monster inside him would get him placed there. Remus knew that he should just be thankful that he was allowed to go to the school at all though, so he tried to convince himself that any house would be fine with him. The first years' voices were getting shrill with anticipation when Professor McGonagall finally returned. She led them into a giant hall where the rest of the student body was already seated and stopped at the front of the room gesturing for some reason at a very old hat.

A/N: Thank you guys so much for the reviews! They let me know whether or not I am on the right track. :)


	5. Chapter 5

September 1st, 1971

The first years filed in, leaving several feet before the hat until McGonagall beckoned them closer. They looked bemused at each other as the whole hall stared expectantly at the battered old hat. To the boy's astonishment, a large rip opened wide and the hat began singing very loudly.

 _No, you haven't gone round the bend_

 _I am a magical singing hat_

 _It's my job to find a place for you_

 _So try me on, let's chat_

 _I can see inside your head_

 _No secret can you hide_

 _But no need to fret or fear_

 _In me, you can confide_

 _Hufflepuff could be your place_

 _If you love loyalty and hard work_

 _Patient Hufflepuffs are friends to all_

 _And sure to never shirk_

 _Ravenclaw could help you soar_

 _If you treasure wit_

 _Clever students who want to learn_

 _Are sure to find Ravenclaw a fit_

 _Or maybe Slytherin_

 _Is where you will find your kind_

 _Thoughts cunning and ambitious_

 _Cross every Serpent's mind_

 _Lastly, Gryffindor_

 _Might help you to succeed_

 _Those mighty lions are unafraid_

 _Of any chivalrous deed._

 _Go ahead and try me on!_

 _Put away your fears_

 _I will find the house for you_

 _By looking between your ears_

The first years were entranced by the song. Every house sounded fantastic and many of them believed that they didn't quite have any of those qualities. Professor McGonagall raised a hand to quickly call for quiet. She held a long piece of parchment and began to crisply call names off of it. "Abbott, Julie" was the first student to shyly make her way up to the hat and place it on her head. Her blonde-hair became mussed by the old hat that was much too large for her head. Julie looked briefly surprised and began muttering to herself, but the other students heard nothing from the sorting hat until it shouted with gusto "HUFFLEPUFF". One of the two middle tables roared with cheers, and Julie ran over to sit by them with relief.

Sirius had been growing steadily paler with these proceedings. He was very uncomfortable with the hat seeing inside of his head. He knew that he was probably bound for the Slytherin table, but it would still hurt to have the magical object confirm that he was just like his family. Sirius was shaking a little when McGonagall called "Black, Sirius". James was a little shocked to hear Sirius' surname, but he quickly masked it. When Sirius moved slowly towards the hat, James gave him a quick pat on the shoulder for support. Sirius smiled tightly back at him. He lowered the hat onto his head and thought strongly about how much he wanted to be friends with the black-haired boy. Sirius knew that his family thought that the Potters were blood traitors, but he was finding that that did not matter to him. "Bravery to make your own decisions eh?" a gravelly voice said in his mind. "You are a very unusual Black aren't you? I like it. Your family could use a little shaking up."

Sirius beamed. The hat knew that he was different. "No question where to put you though" the hat said, and Sirius waited for the inevitable call of Slytherin. The hat opened its brim wide and shouted "GRYFFINDOR". Sirius looked confused, but ran to the cheering table. The applause was punctuated though by whispered voices at every table. The Gryffindors looked thrilled to take a student from the Slytherins, but when Sirius sat down they still gave him a rather wide berth. Every student there knew about the Black family. The Slytherin table was in an uproar. They booed the eleven-year-old until Professor McGonagall threatened to take away house points if there wasn't quiet. McGonagall began to call names again, but everyone seemed a little shakier than they had before. James sought Sirius' gaze at the end of the Gryffindor table and gave him a big thumbs up.

The three remaining boys' attention wandered as Professor McGonagall continued to call names. Peter and Remus had fallen into a debate about Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, while James was insisting that everyone should try for Gryffindor so that they could all be together. "I don't think you can really try for anything. The hat just knows where you belong" Remus said as he watched the red-haired girl from the train take her place in Gryffindor. James watched the girl for a minute too, before letting out a small roar like a lion. James knew that he would be in Gryffindor. Several of the first years jumped and McGonagall glared at the boy.

Remus let out a small laugh. He was so nervous that it was good to have a distraction. When Frank Longbottom walked up the hat though, nothing could take his attention away from the sorting. Remus was pretty sure that he would be next. His nerves returned in full force. He imagined trying on the hat and having it just sit on his head unable to sort a werewolf. He imagined the hat shouting in its gravelly voice that there had been a terrible mistake, and this beast must be sent away quickly. His secret would be out and the magical world would no longer be safe for him. When McGonagall finally called "Lupin, Remus" the rest of the color had drained from his normally pale face. James looked at him in a little bit of surprise. Remus looked even worse off than Sirius had earlier.

Remus tried on the hat with a defiant look in his eyes. He was prepared for the worst. The hat just chuckled in his ear for a few seconds. "No need to fear there. I won't tell anyone about your lycanthropy. You are my first werewolf though. Where to put you?" Remus breathed a deep sigh of relief. He was fine with any house as long as he got to stay at Hogwarts. "You do value learning. You would do well in Ravenclaw where there is such a thirst for knowledge, but you have to bear a lot. To face your illness every month, and not be able to confide to anyone that takes great bravery. There is just one place for you." The hat paused for a second as though considering something. "One more thing Remus, don't forget that you belong at this school." Remus beamed. "GRYFFINDOR" the hat finally yelled, and Remus ran off to sit with Sirius.

Marlene McKinnon soon joined the table and the Gryffindors were having a hard time keeping quiet for the rest of the sorting. Everyone seemed eager to get to know each other. Sirius and Remus shushed the other first years though as Peter Pettigrew walked up the hat. The hat slid down across the short boy's forehead and covered up his blonde eyebrows. A minute or two passed and everyone stared expectantly at the hat. It remained resolutely silent though.

"I can see that you do have some bravery, yes." The hat said, but the voice frightened Peter. "You are also cunning. You only act when it suits your own needs. Hmm, you are definitely a tough one to place Peter. Ravenclaw is definitely not a fit, and Hufflepuffs are far too loyal and kind." The noise level was starting to rise in the hall as whispers of hatstall were thrown around. Over five minutes had passed and Peter was more than ready to get off of the small stool and out of the spotlight. The hat finally sighed, "Anywhere I choose will not be a perfect fit. You could do well in either Gryffindor or Slytherin. Be careful which house qualities you choose to embody." Peter looked over to the table where Remus and Sirius sat grinning. I would prefer to be in Gryffindor, he thought desperately. "Gryffindor? Well, it is brave of you to ask." And without further comment "GRYFFINDOR" was shouted once more into the hall.

It was James' turn to look nervous as McGonagall called him to the hat. For all of his bluster, James still worried that he would be placed somewhere else. None of the other houses held any appeal for him, and as he put on the hat he murmured Gryffindor softly over and over. "I see your point" the hat said and shouted "GRYFFINDOR" before the hat was even firmly place on his head. The other students looked a little relieved as they shouted for James. It was nice to have an easy sort after Peter.

James beamed and sprinted to the Gryffindor table with his fist in the air. He high-fived the other boys, and they all grinned foolishly at each other. All of them had made it to Gryffindor. The rest of the sorting seemed to go agonizingly slow as they waited for their supper. James and Sirius begged the older students around them to describe the welcome feast, and after a few minutes they were all drooling with anticipation. They were just deciding what type of desert they wanted to eat (all of them, of course) when Snape, Severus was called to take his turn with the hat. A flash of dislike passed over James and Sirius's faces as they remembered the scene on the train. The hat wasn't even properly lowered onto Snape's head before "SLYTHERIN" was shouted. Sirius snorted "It probably made a quick decision because it didn't want to touch Snivellus's greasy hair." James laughed loudly, but Lily, the red-haired girl shot them both looks of pure venom from across the table. "Leave him alone" she hissed. They were still giggling as Snape crossed to the Slytherin table and was clapped on the back by a blonde-haired prefect.

After Snape, it wasn't long until every first year was sorted. By this time many of the students' stomachs were growling for food. Albus Dumbledore walked to the center of the room and surveyed them all happily. "I am sure everyone would like to get to the feast soon" He said. His eyes twinkled knowingly. "I would never dare to stand before a few hundred teenagers and their dinner. Tuck in" Dumbledore said and before the appreciative chuckle had died down food appeared on the tables. Even James, whose mum was an excellent chef, was impressed by the variety and quality of the food. All of them ate more than they thought possible. Slender Remus impressed them all by wolfing down three steaks. He grinned at their shocked expressions. The moon was later that week, and he would need all the fuel he could get then. That night was one that they would always remember. They ate, drank, and enjoyed fantastic conversation. The prefect that led the boys to their dormitory that night was a little surprised that they were all first years. It seemed like their friendship had already lasted much longer than a single day.

A/N: Thank you for the reviews and follows! They mean so much. Please let me know if you see anything I can do to improve :)


	6. Chapter 6

Remus woke before the other boys the next day. He was used to moving a lot and waking up in a strange room was familiar to him. Remus was surprised, however, by the soft snores and deep breathing that surrounded him. It was nice, he decided, to wake up surrounded by friends. Remus glanced up at the maroon coverings around his bed that had begun to glow softly by the morning light streaming in the windows. He could already feel the pressure the upcoming moon placed on his muscles. Remus' joints ached and his eyes were shadowed with fatigue, but he still smiled contentedly at the ceiling. He wasn't about to complain on his first day of school. Remus had all week to worry about the moon.

THWUMP! Remus' reverie was quickly interrupted by the thud of a pillow and a startled scream form the blonde boy three beds over. James had apparently woken up and clobbered Peter in the face with a pillow. James had a manic grin on his face as he leapt lightly over to Sirius' bed to give him the same treatment. He threw open the curtains to find Sirius sitting cross-legged on the bed with his wand casually pointed in James' direction. James quickly stopped and hid the pillow behind his back clearly trying to look innocent.

"Come on, Let's get Remus" Sirius said with a grin. Remus hurriedly pulled his hangings open.

"Get Remus what?" He asked with a mischievous grin. James and Sirius glanced at each other before charging towards the smaller boy with pillows raised threateningly. Peter quickly came to Remus' defense. They had a short, but intense war that left the floor covered in tiny feathers that would stay until the house elves could clean while the boys were at breakfast.

They finally started towards the Great Hall after everyone was dressed. Sirius, who seemed to be a bit fussy from upbringing, preened all of the feathers from his hair and was wearing neatly pressed robes. The other three boys still had stray feathers sticking to them. James had insisted on diving into the pile of feathers before exiting the dormitory so he was fairly well covered in the tiny soft feathers.

It wasn't long after the exited the dorm that the boys realized they had no idea how to get to the Great Hall. "Someone should really get us a map" Peter grumbled. They began to take random hallways in the hope that they could find their food. Sirius was swearing to them once again that he knew how to get there when they ran into Lily and Alice. The girls looked just as confused as they were about how to get to the Great Hall.

Lily snickered when she saw them. "Fly the coop Potter?" she said with a grin. "They tried to tar and feather me" James replied with a solemn face and gestured to the boys around them. Lily smiled before she caught sight of Severus rushing towards them in the hall. Her face became severe as she remembered their conversations from yesterday. "I'm sure you deserved it, Potter" Lily shot towards him before grabbing Alice's arm and dragging her down the hallway that Severus claimed was correct.

Sirius pulled them away in and opposite direction. "I don't want to go down any hall that Snivelly has polluted" he said savagely. Peter grinned and James high-fived the boy, but Remus looked uncomfortable with talking about the other boy.

Unfortunately for the boys, Severus had been correct. The path they were on sloped slowly downwards until the walls began to be lit by green light. Peter stopped to ask a portrait for help, but she just giggled and invited him to play poker. The boys were distracted trying to convince the portrait to give them directions if they could win at poker when Professor McGonagall swept towards them with a frown.

"What are you boys doing down here? You don't have potions until tomorrow afternoon. Charms is up three stories."

"We got lost on the way to breakfast, Professor" They all said quickly.

Professor McGonagall still looked suspicious as she surveyed the four boys. "Breakfast is over, boys. You have five minutes to get to class" McGonagall thrust timetables into each of their hands and ushered them in the direction of Charms. The boys' stomachs growled as they raced up the staircases that McGonagall had pointed out. They tumbled out of breath into the classroom and knocked into a tiny wizard at the front of the room.

He squeaked before righting himself and welcoming the boys with a huge smile. "Please take your seats" the wizard said and beckoned to the empty desks in front of them. It seemed like most of the class had not found their way into the room yet. James and Sirius ran towards two tables in the back of the room. Peter followed happily. Remus sighed. He knew that he should take a place at the front of the room. It would be easier to take notes, and he should probably start to put some distance between himself and his roommates. He couldn't let them figure out his secret, or he would surely be forced to go home. Remus had apparently hesitated too long. James grabbed his arm and pulled him into the seat beside Peter. Remus grinned, at least, the decision had been made for him.

By the time enough of the class had arrived to begin the lesson, the boys had begun to play tic-tac-toe on the edges of their parchment. James had enchanted it so the lines kept moving to keep things interesting. The small wizard cleared his throat and Remus hurriedly pushed the parchment away from him. "Welcome to Charms, I am Professor Flitwick. Today, we will just discuss the theory of charms. Next class we will get started with actually performing them." Remus sat up in his seat and began to copy down everything that Professor Flitwick said.

The rest of the classes for the day went in much the same fashion. Remus took notes and the other boys played in the back corners of the class. History of Magic started out as the most interesting class. Their teacher, Professor Binns, literally floated into their classroom through the wall. That was the last interesting thing that happened though. Their professor barely stopped to welcome them to class. He immediately started droning on about goblin wars that happened hundreds of years ago. Remus' quill flew across the parchment as he tried to focus on the material and stay awake. The other boys listened for about thirty seconds before passing notes back and forth between them. James tried to get Remus to participate, but, so far, he had steadfastly refused them.

By the time they reached the dormitory that night, Remus had a stack of neatly written notes. The others had a few scribbled lines of notes about classes and several pages of tic-tac-toe and hangman. James and Sirius were still indignant that Professor Binns and Professor Sprout, their young herbology professor, had given them homework on their first day. Remus wanted to begin to work on it right away. He knew how lucky he was to be at Hogwarts and wanted to do as well as possible. Remus had just pulled his stack of parchment out of his bag when James threw a stack of cards on top of them. "You can do homework tomorrow" he said and drew Remus into a game of exploding snap.

A/N: I am so sorry about the delay in posting this chapter. I have been so busy with the holiday and work. Thank you for the reviews and follows they mean so much to me. I hope you enjoy!


	7. Chapter 7

The boys had their first Transfiguration lesson on Tuesday. For once, most of the students found the classroom before class began. The four boys took their usual seats in the back of the room. They were chattering loudly, when Professor McGonagall swept into the room and everyone except James fell silent. James, who had been holding Sirius' quill far above his head and taunting him, was facing away from the door when Professor McGonagall walked in. She took one look at his antics and waved her wand in a complicated manner. Sirius' quill froze and turned into a small garden snake.

"That was transfiguration. If you sit down and pay attention in my class, you may learn how to do that someday." Every student in the class was enthralled. McGonagall waved her wand again, and handed Sirius back his quill. "Now, boys, I do believe that you four should sit up front in order to improve your listening skills. Your permanent seats are now in the front row." the four boys gathered their stuff and moved to the two tables in the front of class with resigned expressions. Remus looked mortified that a teacher already believed he was a troublemaker. The other three were just frustrated that they would be unable to get into mischief on the front row. "Take out your quills and write down Humbleberg's theory of basic transfiguration" McGonagall said as words appeared on the chalkboard at the front of class.

Remus wrote furiously and was pleased that he was able to earn five points for Gryffindor by naming the five basic thoughts behind elementary transfiguration. James also earned five points by being the first person to be able to turn his matchstick into a needle. Unfortunately, Sirius lost fifteen points by waving his wand randomly at his matchstick until it finally burst into flame.

To the boys' utter horror, Professor Slughorn also wanted them in the front of class for Potions. As soon as they entered the door, he marched over and shook Sirius and James' hands with a large clammy one of his own. "Welcome, Welcome, boys sit right down here at the front so we can get to know each other" Slughorn blustered. "I had both of your parents, of course,. Excellent wizards. Excellent" Slughorn ignored the rest of the class for several minutes as he continued to talk about the Black and Potter families. Finally, he began to take roll. He paused slightly over Remus' name, and seemed to frown at it. The other boys looked at Remus with confusion. Remus' father worked at the Ministry of Magic and was well known. Slughorn shouldn't have any problem with Remus. They shrugged it off when Professor Slughorn moved on without comment. The class went pretty well, but Professor Slughorn seemed to go out of his way to avoid speaking to Remus.

Remus left the room feeling a little bit cold. He was actually surprised that more teachers hadn't reacted that way or worse. Remus knew that all of them were aware that he was a werewolf, and he had been shocked that they had treated him so equally. James came up from behind him and poured a bunch of purple invisible ink onto Remus' cloak. Remus grinned as his cloak was soaked in a lurid purple that quickly faded away. He pushed the messy-haired boy and chased him all the way to the Great Hall.

The rest of the week went incredibly quickly. They ate an incredible roast beef dinner on Friday night and began to plan their exploits for the weekend. James and Sirius were desperate to explore the castle for secret passages. Peter wanted to talk to some more of the portraits. Remus was unusually quiet. The boys had noticed that he had been getting paler all week, and now the smallest boy seemed to be picking at his food. James looked at him with a little bit of concern. "All right there, Rem?" He questioned. "I'm fine. And it is Remus" the boy answered quickly. James smirked. Nicknames were so much more fun when they were unwanted. "Oh, of course, Rem, I will never call you that again" he chortled. Remus just glared. Their tiff was interrupted when McGonagall walked over to their table.

"Remus, if I could have a word with you in my office when you have finished your dinner."

The tired looking boy pushed his plate aside. "I'm finished now, Professor" he explained. She smiled and led him out of the Great Hall. The other boys immediately began to brainstorm theories for why Remus was required in McGonagall's office. Remus heard them mention something about him being involved in an exploding toilet crime ring before he left the hall. He smiled to himself. Hopefully, they would continue to think the same way when he disappeared on Sunday. Remus was pretty sure that this meeting with McGonagall was about the upcoming full moon.

Professor McGonagall told him to sit down and offered him a gingersnap biscuit. Remus took it shyly and nibbled at the corner. "I called you in here to discuss the arrangements for Sunday." McGonagall explained. "You will go to Madam Pomfrey by four in the afternoon, and she will lead you to the Whomping Willow. That is a dangerous tree that has been planted to hide this secret passage." Remus smiled slightly at this. James and Sirius would be so jealous if they knew that he had found a secret passageway first. Of course, he would never tell them where it was. "Madam Pomfrey will be able to neutralize the tree so that you can safely travel the passageway. It leads to a house in Hogsmeade that should be a safe place for you to transform. Dumbledore and I have put layers of protective spells on the house so that you cannot escape and harm anyone." Remus looked relieved at this. "I wish that we could do something to make the experience easier on you" Professor McGonagall added taking in the weariness of the boy in front of her.

"It's alright, really, Professor. It will just be nice to not have to wear chains" Remus tried to reassure her. Professor McGonagall did not look convinced, but continued talking. "You may tell your friends any excuse for disappearing, but for your safety, I must ask you not to tell them about your condition. All of your professors know about your condition. You will be granted extra time for assignments that are missed because of the moon, and you should feel free to visit Madam Pomfrey if you are feeling sick. Your health comes first." she finished.

Remus left the room feeling so grateful to be able to stay at Hogwarts. He was also terrified that his friends would find out his secret. He knew that he must be showing signs of sickness from the moon. James had noticed at dinner, and he was exhausted and nauseous. Remus entered the portrait hole intending to go straight up to his four-poster bed and call it an early night. He was delayed by three exuberant voices that demanded to know if he had secretly been kidnapped at birth and raised by pirates. "Um, no. That's not quite what happened." Remus chuckled. "I just have to go home for a bit Sunday afternoon. My mum's sick, and Professor McGonagall was arranging for me to visit her." The other three boys looked stricken. They had never thought that something was actually wrong. "I'm so sorry mate." James said. The excited mood had died down immediately. "That's alright. I don't think it is too serious" Remus said hoping to downplay is absence. "I think I will just head up to be now though." The other boys let him go. Sirius clapped a hand on his shoulder before he climbed the stairs to their dorm. There was a long silence after Remus had left the room. The three boys were thinking about ways to help their new friend. "We should plan a surprise for him, when he gets back." Sirius said. They all sat around the fire to discuss ideas.

A/N: Thanks so much for reviewing! First moon and first prank are coming up. :)


	8. Chapter 8

The sun was high in the sky as three boys tiptoed around the dorm. Remus' pale figure was still sound asleep, and they wanted to give him as much rest as they could with the stress of his mother's sickness. Unfortunately, stealthiness was not in the skill set for any of these boys and Remus woke up to many giggles and a harshly whispered quiet before the other boys had even gotten dressed. Remus let out a small groan, and Sirius who had been trying to keep the others quiet bounded over to his four-poster bed.

"Good Morning, Mate. Sorry these fools woke you up" Sirius said, punctuating each word by clobbering Peter and James with a pillow. "Feel free to go back to sleep since it is as Saturday. Nothing we have to get up for…"

Remus smiled and pushed the covers back. He usually slept in and rested most of the day before the moon, but there was no way that he was staying in bed while his new friends were out having fun. He wasn't quick enough to hide the wince though, that crossed his face as he leaned over his trunk to pull out his robes for the day. James reached out a hand to steady the boy, but Remus ignored it as he marched into the bathroom to get dressed.

All three boys exchanged concerned glances as soon as the door was shut. Remus definitely seemed like he was getting sick, between that and visiting his sick mother, they couldn't imagine a worse way for him to spend his first weekend at Hogwarts. By the time Remus re-emerged looking a little more awake, but no less pale and shaky, they had all gotten ready to go to breakfast.

They made their way to the Great Hall relying largely on James who seemed to be easily memorizing the ever-shifting landscape of the castle. Even after a week, Remus was still unsure how to get to some of the easiest places. Breakfast was a slightly subdued affair, as they all kept glancing at Remus, who was just shoving his oatmeal back and forth in his bowl.

"Are you sure you are alright there, Remus?" Peter asked for the third time.

"M' fine, just not awake yet" Remus replied, trying to shake off the attention with a reassuring smile. To tell the truth, Remus was pretty nauseous and sick feeling. He was also starting to get a little bit panicked at how often the other boys were asking about him. This was the very first full moon, and they were already far too aware that something was wrong. Remus shoved some oatmeal in his mouth and cast about for a new subject. "So what are we doing today?"

James looked at Peter and Sirius before answering. Originally, they had planned to explore Hogwart's grounds and maybe go swimming in the lake outside. Unfortunately, Remus didn't really look like he was up for any of that. "I feel the need to assert my dominance at wizard's chess by having an all-day tournament in our common room." James eventually proclaimed with an air of finality.

"Are you sure you want to stay inside all day?" Remus questioned.

"Look, I've got a box full of little stone men that are just waiting to behead something. They can't contain their bloodlust, and James' men seem like the perfect outlet for their anger." Sirius said with a smirk. Remus smiled gratefully at the boys. An afternoon inside sounded perfect to him.

"I've never actually played wizard's chess" Peter piped up. The other three boys stared at him in horror as they made their way back up to the Gryffindor common room. Sirius slung an arm around Peter's shoulder with a wicked grin.

"It's high time you learn then, Peter. I will take it easy on you for the first few games." Sirius said. James privately thought that Sirius' idea of easy might not be the same as other peoples. This was proved to be accurate, as Peter's borrowed chess set stared at him reproachfully after the seventh game of being mutilated by either James or Sirius' pieces. Remus had proved to have a good grasp of the game himself, but he told the others that he preferred to watch today. He sat on the comfy armchair near them and shouted out advice to Peter helping him to occasionally take down a piece from James or Sirius. Finally, James was so tired of the bloodshed that he moved over beside Peter to help him battle Sirius.

"Three against one!" James exclaimed triumphantly, and glanced over at Remus. The boy was fast asleep in the armchair. "Or two against one! We can still beat him Pete." James whispered. It turned out that they couldn't. They spent another hour being beaten by Sirius until their attention was broken by Remus waking up and groaning. Their attention turned to the pale boy, who seemed to look even worse than he had earlier in the day. His sandy blonde-hair was plastered to his forehead with sweat, and a greenish hue had taken over his face. Before they could ask him one more time if he was ok or if he needed to go to the nurse, Remus bolted from the chair and ran up to their dormitory.

All three boys trooped up to the room that was quickly becoming home, and could hear Remus losing his slight breakfast in the adjoining lavatory. Remus reappeared a second later shaky and shamefaced. Sirius quickly handed him a wet washcloth before guiding him over to his bed. "Sit down for a second mate, and then let's just go up to the hospital wing. I'm sure that Madam Pomfrey would have something to fix this. You don't want to be ill when you go see your mom tomorrow."

Remus just shook his head at the suggestion. "I'm fine guys. I must have just eaten something that didn't agree with me. Let's just get back to the chess tournament. I really think James can beat Sirius this time."

James' snorted in derision at that statement. "You ate something that didn't agree with you? You had to bites of breakfast man, and Sirius has beaten me and Peter for four hours straight. Why don't we just go to the nurse?"

Remus still refused a trip to the hospital wing. He didn't want to leave his friends until he absolutely had to because his absence would be suspicious enough. He also knew that as skilled as Madam Pomfrey might be, she couldn't help him with the waves of sickness that the moon brought. The other boys were finally defeated, and they left Remus alone in the dormitory with the hope that a nap would make him feel better.

James crept up the stairs before dinner to check on him and found him once more heaving into the toilet. Remus' face was now very flushed, and he seemed to be shivering as he tried to get his rebellious stomach under control. James wordlessly passed him another cool washcloth and waited until the small boy seemed settle for a moment. As soon as he thought the boy could manage it, James put an arm around Remus' shoulders and started dragging him down the stairs to take him to the hospital wing. When they saw James exit the dorm with Remus, Sirius and Peter quickly joined them. Sirius took Remus' other side because the boy seemed very unsteady on his feet, and Peter walked ahead to open every door in their path.

Luck was with the boys, and they didn't get lost. They arrived at the door to the hospital wing practically carrying a sweaty Remus. James hesitantly knocked on the door to find it opened by a kind-looking witch who immediately relieved James and Sirius of their burden and placed Remus gently onto a bed.

"First one to see me this year, dear. Got a bit of the flu it looks like" she muttered while going to gather some potions from a nearby shelf. "And what's your name?" she asked kindly.

"Remus Lupin, madam" Remus replied back politely. Madam Pomfrey's hand stilled instantly, and she walked away from the potions she had been about to grab.

"Well, of course you are dear, should have realized…" She said and began tucking the blankets around Remus form. James, Sirius, and Peter were still standing awkwardly in the doorway. Madam Pomfrey turned and saw them still waiting and concerned for their friend. "Nothing to see here, boys. Thank you for bringing him to me. Remus just has a bit of the flu. I'm sure he will be up and around in no time." She said as she ushered them out the door and turned back to her patient. Remus was already fast asleep.

"That was a bit odd, don't you think?" Peter asked as they made their way back towards the dormitory. All three boys were confused at the recognition that seemed to spark in Madam Pomfrey's eyes, and the way that she ignored the potions she had been grabbing so quickly for. It hadn't looked like she had planned to give Remus any potions at all. Surely, nothing could be wrong with their friend that was untreatable by Pomfrey's magic. They finally put it out of their minds and reasoned that she must have given Remus something after they left.

The boys spent the rest of the night playing chess and talking in their dormitory. It was a subdued affair, however, with the absence of the sandy-haired teen. All of them were consumed with thoughts about their sick friend. They planned to get to the hospital wing early in the morning and see Remus before he went to visit his mother.

In the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey tipped the contents of a dreamless sleep potion into the mouth of the drowsy boy who had already been jolted awake twice. She smoothed the sheets around the boy, and casually brushed his blonde hair out of his eyes. He was in for a rough day tomorrow. Madam Pomfrey hated it when her students were in pain, and she couldn't help them. Unfortunately, she was going to face that situation a lot with this particular student.

A/N: Sorry for the long wait. I haven't abandoned this story! Thanks to everyone who reads and reviews :)


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: There is a slightly graphic description of werewolf transformation at the bottom, so be aware if that kind of thing bothers you. Thanks!

Sunday morning proved to be a dreary start to the day as rain drizzled slowly down onto the grounds. Sirius, James, and Peter took little notice of this, however, as they rushed to get dressed and headed to the hospital wing. They were sure that Remus would be better after a night under Madam Pomfrey's care. They were barely able to catch a glance of the boy though because as soon as they entered the hospital wing Madam Pomfrey was ushering them straight out because Remus needed his rest. James just managed to see a still ill-looking Remus wave at them. James waved back just before the door was closed firmly in his face.

The three boys stared glumly at each other. They had been sure that Remus would be doing fine today, and might even join them for breakfast. Now it looked like he would be lucky if he made it out of the hospital wing in time to visit his mother. They started towards the Great Hall for breakfast with a resigned air. It looked like they wouldn't be able to see Remus at all that day.

Sirius did wholeheartedly smirk as he speared a sausage onto his plate however. While they would miss Remus' company for the day, at least they now had time to plan their surprise for his return. The boys' appetites returned as they returned to their mischievous plans. They had decided that the best way to cheer up Remus was to distract him as soon as he got back. James and Sirius looked around the Great Hall appraisingly, it seemed that the Slytherins would be best-suited to helping them with their plan. Most of the plans that they came up with, however, took a good bit more knowledge than they had. While it was true that James and Sirius were very advanced for their age (due in large part to their parent's blatant flouting of underage wizardry), they still weren't sure how to turn all of the Slytherin's robes red and gold as James had suggested.

Peter suggested that they go to the library, and they spent the rest of the day flipping through spell books at a corner table. Even the easiest books on beginning jinxes had plenty of interesting ideas for them. James was so fond of a spell that would make your nosehair grow in ringlets that he carefully copied it out of the book to save for a later time. He had wanted to use it against the Slytherins, but Sirius had convinced him that it wouldn't have enough of a bang.

Finally, they settled on a spell that made them all smile. Sirius was the one to suggest. He suggested it by quickly muttering it under his breath towards an unsuspecting Peter. Peter was midstream in dialogue trying to convince James that they should just put itching powder in all of the Slytherin's robes when his voice suddenly got a bit higher. James quirked his eyebrows at Peter in surprise as Peter's voice continued to get higher and higher until words such as itching could barely be made out through the shrill whistling sounds that were coming across the table. Peter looked very upset and uncomfortable at the change in his voice as Sirius and James rolled in laughter. Finally, Peter let out a small burp and his voice returned to normal. He gave the other two a sheepish grin and agreed that it was the perfect spell to use on the Slytherin's the next day.

They spent the rest of their Sunday practicing the spell and making sure that they were able to cast it over a large group of people. Overall, they had a great day planning their first big mischief. Remus, however, was miserable. Every joint in his body ached and his stomach continually roiled with nausea. Madam Pomfrey had fussed over him most of the day, but was unable to do much for him. She began to get very concerned when his fever spiked in the afternoon, and his eyes seemed glassy and unfocused. She forced a few fever-reducing potions into Remus, but they barely seemed to touch the sickness that raged inside of him. Madam Pomfrey had read about lycanthropy, but this was her first time treating it. Poor Remus was much sicker than she had imagined.

By the time that Madam Pomfrey was supposed to escort Remus down to the tree, he could barely stand by his own power. Each breath pained Remus, and he occasionally let out a small whimper. Madam Pomfrey grabbed him around the waist with a gentle grip that unfortunately brought Remus a flood of pain and began to walk him towards the tree. Remus didn't say a word about the pain though, he was so grateful to Madam Pomfrey for helping him that he wouldn't dare complain.

When they arrived at the tree, Pomfrey quickly stilled the angry branches by tapping a knot in the bark with a stick. She looked around to make sure that no one had followed them, and stopped Remus for a moment before he disappeared into the passageway. She was suddenly finding it very difficult to let him go. This boy could barely stay standing, and here she was asking him to walk down the long passage to Hogsmeade alone.

"Maybe I could just go down with you a little way and make sure that you are alright." She suggested tentatively. Green eyes flashed up at her full of fear as Remus struggled away towards the entrance in the tree. He looked nervously up at the sky which was already darkening and was keen to put as much distance as he could between himself and the kind witch standing before him.

"I'll be fine, Madam. Thanks for your help." He said with finality as he pulled himself into the tree and away from the witch. Madam Pomfrey knew that he was right to go alone, but she was still filled with regret at the situation. As soon as she had finished the charms that would seal the tree behind her, she hurried back up to the castle. She wanted to be far away from a place that would be home to so much pain.

Remus waited until he was sure that the tree was safely sealed up behind him to drop his façade of strength. He gave into the pain that wracked his body and let out a soft sob with each step that he took into Hogsmeade. The tug of the moon was strongly upon him now, and he could feel it morph every fiber in his body. It was ripping him apart piece by piece only to soon mold him back together again. His breath became hitched at the incline of the path, and Remus looked up grateful to see that he was nearly at his destination. He arrived at the bottom floor of a small rundown house. The dilapidated couch in the corner of the living room upset him. He hoped that no one would mind if he ripped it to pieces tonight.

Remus quickly undressed and left his clothes at the edge of the passageway. Remus hated facing the terror of the night naked, but he also knew that his family could not provide new clothes every time he had a transformation. His skin began to bulge and rip before he had the chance to look around the house further. It was strange being able to transform without being chained to the wall, and Remus was apprehensive about his new freedom. His one concern was that he didn't cause this pain for anyone else. Remus didn't have time to think about it further though. His fingernails began popping off his hands to be replaced by intimidating claws. A bone pushed its way through his skin as his body rearranged itself, and Remus gave into the pain. He blacked out, slumped against the old couch.

James, Sirius, and Peter were still wide awake in their dormitory. A wolf's howl punched through the air in the distance causing several students to jump in alarm. The boys were too preoccupied to notice the noise. They were too excited talking about Remus' face when he returned and saw what they had planned.


	10. Chapter 10

Monday morning James, Sirius, and Peter rushed to get dressed and make it in time for breakfast. They all glanced nervously at the bed that was still rumpled from Remus' nap on Saturday. He should be back from his visit with his mom now, if he even felt well enough to go. It was a slightly subdued breakfast as they all worried about the small boy, who should be at the table with them. It seemed that Remus was having a rough start at Hogwarts. Classes drug by as all the boys were eager to get to the evening festivities that they had planned for Remus. They were a little worried that they would have to be post-poned though, when the boy had still not made an appearance by lunchtime.

Madam Pomfrey put a firm hand on Remus as he struggled to throw off the heavy blankets and make his way out of bed. She was surprised that he was even awake with the extent of his wounds, and she certainly didn't want him out of bed for another few days at least. His leg was still bleeding sluggishly from a set of long bite marks and a long thin scratch had been added to the collection on his chest. She couldn't fix him either. Madam Pomfrey sighed as she looked at the damage this poor boy had done to himself. Magical healing could only do so much on werewolf wounds and much of what she did for Remus could only be described as "Muggle healing". She pushed away that thought with a sigh of disgust and surveyed the boy in front of her who was still pleading to go to dinner with the rest of the school.

"I'm fine, honest, Madam Pomfrey. And people will notice if I'm not there. They might figure things out. I can go to dinner and then just call it an early night. I promise I will come back here if I need to, but I'm good really."

The dark circles under the boy's eyes scared her. She wanted to make him stay and sleep, but behind all the exhaustion was real fear. He was right to be afraid too. Madam Pomfrey knew that Dumbledore wouldn't be able to keep him in school if word got out. Against her better judgement, she removed her hand and pulled back the covers for Remus.

Remus imagined himself putting steel in his legs as he swung them out of the bed. He raised himself up straightly and began to walk out of the hospital wing steadily. He knew that Madam Pomfrey was watching for the slightest bobble so that she could send him back to bed. He knew that by the time he arrived dinner would be starting so Remus began to head towards the Great Hall. As soon as he was out of the nurse's sight, his steps became lumbered and pained. He worked hard to keep a small smile on his face every time he passed another student. The castle had never seemed bigger, and he wished that he had James with him to provide directions.

Remus was sure that he had taken a wrong turn after he had been walking for approximately 20 minutes. He asked directions from one of the portraits, a small man wearing a dapper suit and talking to a bear cub, and was pointed back in the direction he came. Remus turned around with a sigh and started determinedly walking in the other direction. He finally arrived in the Great Hall just to see the main course disappear. Remus sighed gratefully. His stomach was still rumbling uncomfortably, and he had no desire to put any lamb stew in it.

James, Sirius, and Peter breathed a sigh of relief when they saw the large door crack open to admit him. James stood up on the bench and whistled to get his attention. Unfortunately, it also got the attention of Professor McGonagall who took five points from Gryffindor for lack of proper decorum. Remus beamed as he made his way through the crowd to the three boys. They were already shoveling desserts on a plate next to them to "make up for his lack of dinner".

Remus slid onto the bench beside Sirius, who glanced at him worriedly. Up close Remus looked almost worse than he had before his visit to his mother. He hoped that everything had gone alright.

"Are you OK, mate?" Peter asked as he pushed the plate with the amalgam of desserts toward a pale Remus.

"I'm fine. Just got back from seeing my folks. How was the weekend? Did you play more chess?" Remus seemed eager to push the conversation over to the other boys.

"It was good. We actually planned a bit of a surprise for you when you finish eating, but how is your mom? Do you feel better?" James answered.

"I'm great. Pomfrey fixed me right up. It was just a bit of the flu. I'm sorry that you guys had to deal with dragging me up there. Mom's alright too." Remus answered quickly, before returning to mashing all of the desserts on his plate into one large gooey substance.

James watched carefully and noticed that not a single bite was going anywhere near Remus' mouth. He didn't blame Remus, the multi-colored mash on his plate could not be less appetizing, but still the boy hadn't eaten anything.

"Aren't you hungry?" He queried cautiously. He didn't understand what was going on with his new friend.

"I'm fine" Remus answered quickly "I, um, ate with my folks. Now what is this surprise?"

James didn't quite believe the sandy-haired youth, but he didn't know what to do about it. A smile of pure glee lit his face though as he turned expectantly to Sirius and Peter. All three boys seemed to be bursting with excitement as they snuck their wands out of their robe pockets and began to softly chant an incantation.

The spell worked, but not quite how the boys had planned. All of the Gryffindors, including them, began to talk in higher and higher voices. They looked around angily at the other tables. Some of the older Gryffindors began to whistle what might have been profanity at the Slytherins, if it hadn't come out just sounding like particularly vehement tea kettles. No one at the Gryffindor table except Remus seemed to doubt that the Slytherins were responsible for the sudden spell.

The whole of Gryffindor house began to burp and return to a normal speaking pitch. Remus laughed so hard that he was doubled over wincing. Everyone seemed to go back to their normal dinner quickly. The teachers had barely looked up from their dinner and were turning a blind eye to the whole affair. It seemed that incidents of this sort were a common occurrence in the Great Hall. There did seem to be some murderous whispers among the older Gryffindors, however, they looked ready for revenge.

James, Sirius, and Peter were grinning broadly as though they had meant to hex only their house from the beginning. Sirius actually had the nerve to tell and unconvinced Remus that it had been his plan the whole time.

"It throws them off of our scent you see. Can't be seen getting the enemy on your first week"

Remus refused to let him get away with this. Peter had already told him that it was a mistake. Remus was exhausted, but he drank in the scene happily. The three boys that surround him seemed to be his friends. It was a weird sensation, thinking that someone other than his family cared about him. He knew that they wouldn't if they knew his secret, but he wouldn't blame them for that. For now, he was content to just be in their company.

The three boys high-fived as they walked up to the common room with Remus later that night. They had succeeded in making him smile. That smile was plastered on his face even now, as an exhausted Remus struggled to make it up to Gryffindor tower. He continued to reassure them that he just hadn't slept well, but they all worried as the pace of the group continued to slow to match Remus' faltering steps. He didn't even remove his robe before falling asleep when they entered their room. Peter, James, and Sirius spoke in hushed voices that night as they went over the triumph of their first prank. They wanted to be sure not wake their tired friend.


	11. Chapter 11

The next morning all four boys fell quickly back into the rhythm of things. They started off their day with a rousing pillow fight, that made a tousle-haired Frank Longbottom sigh in disgust. Sirius, who got ready in the shortest amount of time and still always looked better-dressed, waited by the door while the other three boys got ready for breakfast. They may have been slightly hindered by the fact that he kept levitating their belongings. Professor Flitwick had just gone over the spell which came rather naturally to Sirius.

"Wingardium Leviosa!"

"Sirius! We are never going to get breakfast if I can't reach my shirt!" A half-dressed Remus complained while he continued to jump for the garment.

Sirius just grinned and flicked his wand with another "Wingardium Leviosa" and Remus flew into the air level with his still levitating shirt.

The boys did not make it to breakfast early, and Remus was still grumbling about how that wasn't what he meant! They went to sit down, and noticed that the mail had already come. A large tufted owl that was pristinely groomed sat glaring in wait for them. Sirius paled when he saw it. It perched on top of a large package wrapped in emerald and silver paper.

"Haha, maybe they just didn't get the memo yet mate" James said, valiantly trying to laugh off the situation. Sirius sat down and quietly opened the package which contained a letter written in an elegant scrawl on top of what looked like more green and silver items. The other boys noticed that Sirius paled further with each line of the letter.

 _Dear Sirius Orion Black,_

 _I know all about your treachery in choosing Gryffindor. Our family does not associate with such mudbloods and blood-traitors. While you carry the Black family name, it is unacceptable for you to make a mockery of our values. I have written the headmaster, and you have an appointment with him today at 2 o'clock to discuss arrangements for your resorting into Slytherin. I expect you to wear the enclosed appropriate garments. Sources tell me that you have been fraternizing with the blood traitor, Potter, and two other boys with dubious parentage. You are not to have any further contact with them._

 _Your Mother,_

 _Walburga Black_

James quietly pulled the letter out of Sirius' frozen hands. He read it quickly and then passed it to Remus and Peter with a murderous look. They all set uncertainly, staring at the boy who was shaking before them.

"Mate, do what you have to do, but you will always be one of us." James finally said, slinging an arm around Sirius' shoulder. Sirius pushed himself free of James' embrace and grabbed the letter back from Sirius. He quickly shredded it and tossed it in the bin along with the emerald contents of the package. James applauded, but Remus and Peter looked concerned.

"I just don't want you to get in trouble over us." Remus muttered quietly. Sirius returned to the table waving his Gryffindor scarf in circles over his head.

"I could never be one of them." He spat with disgust at the farthest table. The boys enjoyed what was left of their breakfast time and merrily made their way to class. As the day went on, however, Sirius began to look more and more concerned. He knew that he couldn't just skive off a meeting with Professor Dumbledore, so at 1:45 he told the others goodbye and went off in search of the headmaster. Luckily, he ran into Professor Flitwick, who was happy to show him the way.

"You really are quite a hand at charms, my boy. I think you will enjoy what we are getting to next. It is going to be a fun year!" Flitwick squeaked, filling the air with an endless stream of chatter. Sirius was glad for the distraction. It slowed the trepidation that was building in his chest. He knew how powerful his parents were. If they wanted him to be in Slytherin, he should probably pack his bags.

He thanked Professor Flitwick, who showed him how to get past a large stone gargoyle, and knocked quietly on the large oak door.

"Come in" Professor Dumbledore's voice called back quickly. He pushed the door open to find himself alone with the headmaster. He thought it would be a little longer in his first year before he found himself facing the headmaster, or at least, because of something he had done.

"Good evening, Mr. Black, sit down and have a lemon drop." Professor Dumbledore said and offered up a tin of the sweets. Sirius took one gingerly. The headmaster seemed to be drinking in every aspect of the boy. He stared so long that Sirius began to wipe at his face thinking he must have something on it.

"You do not wish to leave Gryffindor." It was not stated as a question. Sirius looked up at the Professor in surprise.

"No sir." He said with a strength and finality that surprised himself.

"Good, good. I thought not, by your display of house pride at the breakfast table" the headmaster said, still surveying him over those half-moon glasses. "Of course, the hat's decision is final, and I will be happy to communicate that to your parents. I thought we should take the opportunity to talk though. The magical world is dividing at taking sides around us. You have chosen differently from your family. I can only imagine what a hard path this will be for you to take, but I am here if you need to talk." Dumbledore finished a bit sadly.

"I will be fine, Professor. The Gryffindors are my family now sir." Professor Dumbledore looked delighted at his response.

"That was a very brave, a very Gryffindor thing to say. I think you will do well there. Now if you will excuse me, I do believe I have some mail to write to one Walburga Black" Dumbledore clapped him on the shoulder and then showed him the door.

Sirius nearly skipped back to his common room. He couldn't wait to tell James, Peter, and Remus that he would be staying. Sirius knew that he would panic if he thought about the reception that he would receive when he returned home for the holidays, but that was so far away. He stopped in the doorway of the common room and took in the warm scene around him before being pulled away to join his three friends. They demanded the details of his meeting and were jumping in excitement when he told them he was officially staying.

"So this means you know how to get into the headmaster's office?" James said with a mischievous smile before they all burst into laughter.


	12. Chapter 12

I do not own anything in the Harry Potter universe.

"JAMES POTTER! HOW DARE YOU!" the very angry redhead yelled from her seat in Professor Slughorn's class. Everyone in the class had abandoned their cauldrons to stare at Lily's hair which continued to grow and was roughly ten meters long. Remus and Severus began to roll it carefully around the desks, trying to avoid singeing her locks.

"I, um, I'm sorry Lily. I wasn't trying to hit you. I... Severus was my target." James muttered in a slightly abashed voice. He couldn't stop the smile that played at the corners of his mouth though. Anyone could see that he was not too concerned with the mistake. Lengths of auburn hair were now spread throughout the aisles of the classroom, and the students were wading through knee-high piles of the stuff. Professor Slughorn stood at his desk and surveyed the scene with a jovial smile.

"Not to worry, not to worry, my dear." He said as he whisked his wand out and performed the counter-jinx. Lily's hair promptly stopped growing. Gryffindors and Slytherins alike sighed their relief as they were beginning to feel trapped by the long strands. "I don't suppose you want to keep this as a new style?" Slughorn chortled inviting the rest of the class to laugh along. Lily's cheeks burned with rage and embarrassment.

"I will just clean this up a bit then, shall I? Now was it about shoulder-length?" Slughorn waited for Lily's nod before making a quick cut with his wand. Lily's hair was magically snipped off right above her shoulders. She quickly ran her hands through it, determining the length. James realized that it was a little bit shorter than it had been before, but it framed her face nicely.

Professor Slughorn looked quite pleased with himself as he vanished the rest of the hair in the classroom. "A former student of mine, Barret Barba, who was quite skilled as a magical stylist. Anytime I need a new look I go by his salon, and he fixes me up for free. Same man who does all of the styles for Celestina Warbeck. I dare say I picked up a few things from Barret along the way..." Professor Slughorn didn't seem to realize that no one was listening to or impressed by his connections to celebrity stylists.

Lily had resolutely tossed her hair back over her shoulder and was firmly staring at the now empty cauldron she shared with Severus. James was still trying to get her attention and apologize. When James resorted to throwing tiny pieces of parchment at her, Lily finally turned around. Her eyes blazed with fury. "It wouldn't have been any better if you had hit my friend James Potter! You are a bully, and I don't want anything to do with you!" She whispered in a harsh voice.

Professor Slughorn finally seemed to realize that the class was more interested in the drama between the young Gryffindors than in his continued speech about former students. He cleared his throat expectantly and waited until the class had settled down. "Mr. Potter has already apologized so just 10 points from Gryffindor should do it. And I think 10 points should go to Slytherin for Mr. Snape's kind action in keeping his friend's hair from the flame. I think most of your cauldrons are empty or over-cooked at this point so we will just leave the lesson there. I must ask for fewer hijinks next lesson so that we can actually finish a potion, my boy." Slughorn finished with an exaggerated wink towards James.

"Sir!" Sirius said standing from the seat by James that he had lounged in all class while enjoying the chaos. "Remus helped keep her hair safe too." Peter hurriedly nodded to back up his friend. Professor Slughorn just chuckled as he continued to pack up his potion ingredients.

"Trying to get the points back for Gryffindor? Well, I'm afraid I didn't see Mr. Lupin, my boys. He will just have to do some other good deed to earn back Mr. Potter's deficit. Maybe a few good deeds the way that boy is going" Professor Slughorn smiled at Sirius as the boys packed up their belongings. Sirius looked like he wanted to press the issue, but Remus grabbed him by the arm and started to drag him out.

"Don't worry about it. I wasn't helping Lily to get points anyway. Besides James already earned 10 points in transfiguration for turning his beetle into a button." The blonde-haired boy assured Sirius as he pulled him out of the classroom.

"Geez, you are strong for someone so small!" Sirius complained as he tried to rip his arm away from Remus. "What are you the Hulk?" Remus let him go with a surprised grin.

"How do you know about the Hulk?" He asked in disbelief. Remus had read some of the comics during a brief month where his parents thought he would be safer living in America.

"I picked up a comic in a shop that had it for muggle studies. Mainly to make my parents angry. I succeeded." Sirius said with a satisfied smirk. He had really enjoyed the reaction of his mother when she realized he was reading something meant for muggle children. "Oy! James come over here! We have a new nickname for Remus. He is now the mighty Remus-hulk!" Both boys enjoyed the confusion on James' face as he walked up beside them. They explained themselves as the four boys walked up to the Great Hall. They passed Lily and Severus in the corridor and chuckled at the pair that was so obviously furious. Lily pulled Severus hand away from his wand when he tried to curse them, and everyone but Remus laughed again.

"I see you are keeping your pet Slytherin under control!" Sirius shouted back to Lily as they turned a corner. James obnoxiously high-fived him.

"I just wanted to get revenge on you myself Potter. You too, Black!" Lily yelled back. The boys were still laughing, but they moved a little faster towards the Great Hall after that. They had all seen how the witch took care of Morgan, a third year who thought it was fun to haze the girl before their class last week. Somehow, they though her threat might not be an empty one.

A/N: This was a fun little chapter to write! I love when their pranks go sideways. Let me know if you have any thoughts or feedback. Thanks for reading!


	13. Chapter 13

I own nothing. Sorry for the delay! Enjoy!

"Happy Halloween!" James shrieked flying towards Remus and Peter with a maniacal grin.

"Mate, you are a little bit off, It's October 1st." Sirius said joining them in the common room. Sirius glanced at his best friend with a bemused expression. James was now trying to carve a small pumpkin that had made its way into their common room. He continued to poke at the orange fruit with a slightly smoldering wand that didn't seem to be affecting the pumpkin.

"Halloween..is..a..month…long….event…" James grunted while still struggling with the pumpkin. "There!" James pushed the finished gourd towards Remus with a satisfied smirk. The pumpkin was glowing slightly and GRYFFINDOR was embellished on the surface in haphazardly-formed capital letters. Remus examined it curiously.

"What spell did you use? It smells like it is burning?" He asked poking the pumpkin curiously. As soon as Remus jabbed the pumpkin it exploded into a copious amount of orange goo. Remus and Peter were entirely coated in it. James leapt back and missed the substance entirely, while, Sirius had a large glob of pumpkin dripping from the tip of his nose.

Peter was the quickest to recover. He fumbled quickly in his cloak pockets grimacing as his hand grasped yet more pungent pumpkin goo. Peter finally pulled out his chestnut wand and cast "Tarantellegra" shouting the words loudly.

James began to dance wildly. His feet bounced across the floor as he started a demented sort of tap dance. Remus and Sirius high-fived Peter and cheered wildly as the boy responsible for their current attire danced a complicated jig. People hurried to move out of his way as the curse swept James in circles around the common room. Even Lily laughed good-naturedly, when the curse was slowly wearing off. James stood in the middle of the room with random dance steps occurring every 20-30 seconds and took long dramatic bows.

Remus and Peter attacked him to make sure that the boy did not escape without a heavy layer of pumpkin. Later, the boys trouped upstairs to remove the pumpkin goo that felt like it was seeping into their pores.

James demanded "So what did we learn from that?"

"Um.. Peter doesn't like to be covered in pumpkin?" Remus guessed with small smile on his face as he replayed the events in his mind.

"No! We learned that we can make pumpkins explode annnnd Pete knows an excellent jinx to use on the Slytherins. We need to start planning for Halloween now!" James answered as though he was explaining a very simple math problem to a struggling child. "We need to practice. The School is counting on us to provide quality entertainment on Halloween in the form of the prank. We can't let them down."

"Um, James, the school isn't really counting on us for anything. They don't know who we are." Remus interjected. He was trying to stop James from getting to carried away.

"They might not know who we are, but that doesn't stop them from wanting us." Sirius said slinging an arm around James. Remus sighed. It was clear that Sirius was just going to encourage James. Peter grinned mischievously.

"It would be kind of fun to see the Slytherins covered in goo." Pete said relishing the thought. Remus gave in to the plans to practice for a large Halloween prank. They planned several smaller exploding pumpkin pranks around the school to make sure that they would be well prepared for the big night. James continued to insist that this was the most important exam they would have this year.

Remus was enjoying himself thoroughly until he realized when the first pumpkin was planned to detonate.

"Monday? Wouldn't Thursday or Friday be better? It would give us more time." He queried the other boys. Remus had been trying to forget all week that the full moon was looming on the coming Monday. He had almost succeeded, he thought ruefully, but it never lasted long when he forgot himself.

"Nah, I don't want to wait around to slime the Slytherins. Let's do it Monday." Sirius proclaimed with an evil-sounding laught.

Remus wearily agreed. He knew that he would have to slip out Monday because of the moon, but it would be ok if he missed one prank. He started to think about cover stories, unfortunately, he had picked three of the brightest boys in school to be his friends. He probably should have distanced himself from them for his safety and their own, but James' arm was casually thrown about his shoulder as they discussed all of the applications of exploding pumpkins, and, indeed, other vegetables. Remus couldn't bring himself to be sorry that he had befriended them after all.

On Sunday morning, Remus was again the last to wake up. Peter pushed him experimentally when it looked like he might sleep through breakfast. He grumbled, but drug himself out of bed to go eat with the boys. He couldn't have them suspect that he was unwell. He grumbled some more when he saw his appearance in the mirror. His eyes were bloodshot and sunken and his skin was so much paler than normal. Maybe he could get one of the Gryffindor girls to show him the charm they used to cover up their complexions.

"Remus, you alright mate?" Sirius asked while shoveling eggs into his mouth. His eyes flicked over the small boy.

"I'm fine, why?" Remus asked feigning innocence. He hadn't touched his breakfast yet.

"You just look a bit peaky." It was James this time. Remus could feel the attention of all three boys now. He had to get a handle on this. He knew he could only stay at Hogwarts as long as his secret stayed safe. The Great Hall seemed suffocating, and his nausea from the moon doubled.

"I'm great! You should try the spell on that egg, James" Remus said with fake enthusiasm. He hoped that a change in subject would put the matter out of everyone's minds. It seemed to work. James went after the hard-boiled eggs with gusto watching as they grew and began to slightly glow.

Soon, they all had to flee the Great Hall. Alice, another Gryffindor, was chasing after them while bits of egg covered her hair. Peter pulled them all into a nearby broom closet, and they snickered while she paced around looking for them with fire in her eyes.

They trooped back to the dorm reliving the moment happily in their minds. Remus found himself struggling to match the other's pace, and he knew that they were slowing down for him. He had to get himself out of there soon.

"I forgot my bag in the Great Hall. I'll catch up to you guys." Remus said while darting away. Sirius looked perplexed by the sudden departure. Remus hadn't brought a bag to breakfast he was almost sure of it. He was even more confused when 20 minutes later, Remus appeared in the common room without his backpack.

"Bad news guys, My grandmother died. I'm going home to be with my family and go to the funeral. I'll be back in a couple of days." Remus' voice shook as he told the boys. He wondered if they knew he was lying. His previous oddities seemed to be forgotten though as they all jumped up to express their condolences and pat him on the back.

Remus felt bad about lying about the death. Both of his grandmothers had died years ago though so he excused the lie. He really needed to come up with a regular excuse he thought as he began the trek towards the Hospital Wing. His friends already asked way too many questions.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Thanks to anyone still reading. I'm sorry the updates have been so sporadic. I think about this story a lot, but don't sit down and write often.

It was a rough moon for Remus. He followed the path below the Whomping Willow with a resigned attitude. He would always be lying to his friends. Remus knew better than to let worry and angst overwhelm him with the tide of the moon, but he couldn't stop it this month. His mind kept flashing back to the concern in Sirius' eyes and the way Peter had clapped a comforting arm around his shoulder. The deception had unsettled him all night, and as Remus paced back in forth in the dimly lit shack he could feel the anger of the wolf within.

It never went well when he was upset. Remus remembered a night not long after he had been bitten when he had been crying over having to eat broccoli at dinner. He had broken his ankle when he transformed. The wolf running in circles until he could snap it between nightmarish fangs. His mom had cried for an hour that day. She waited until Remus was safe in bed, but he still heard her. His ears were always a little better in the days surrounding his transformation.

He shook his head in frustration. It did no good to relive memories of past transformations either. Remus glanced out the window and saw the first glints of the full moon. He just had time to try for one last steadying breath before his skin began ripping apart as his bones rearranged themselves.

Madam Pomfrey gasped when she saw Remus early the next morning. The boy's left arm was mutilated and a small splinter of bone was peeking out near his wrist. He was lying on the dirty floor with a sticky layer of his own blood covering most of his body. Her mind was still having trouble processing the carnage that she was seeing, but Madam Pomfrey's nimble hands moved automatically. She tipped a blood-replenishing potion down the boy's throat and placed one hand on his intact wrist checking his vitals. Satisfied that he was alive, she waved her wand so that a stretcher appeared to take him to the castle. Luckily, it was just after dawn so most students would still be in bed.

Remus didn't stir for 8 hours. Madam Pomfrey bandaged his wounds and forced him to drink more potions, but he never opened his eyes. She was beginning to worry that there was some further damage when he finally blinked himself awake. He held up his tightly bandaged wrist and groaned while she rushed to his bedside.

"It's okay dear. I have some potions that will help with the pain." She said smoothing back his sandy-blonde hair.

"It's not that Madam. I just don't know how I am going to explain this to everyone." Remus said, his eyes focused on his obviously wounded arm.

"Oh, I'm sure that will work out. Just try to rest and not worry about it." She replied. Her face relaxing visibly when she realized that he wasn't in pain.

That was the kind of thing that adults said to him a lot. Just don't worry about it. Remus had soon realized that it usually meant they had no idea how to fix a problem either. Madam Pomfrey refused to let him leave the hospital wing for two days after the moon. On Thursday morning he finally convinced her and left rushing to make it to Gryffindor tower to collect his things before class. He was still in a lot of pain, but at least he knew his way back to Gryffindor tower this time without getting lost.

He made it, panting slightly and with a pained grimace across his face, before the other boys had even left for breakfast. Peter whooped in excitement to see him enter the dormitory, and all of the boys rushed around him to welcome him back. As tired as he was, Remus couldn't stop from beaming.

"So what happened to your arm mate?" Sirius said after everyone had greeted Remus.

"I, um, tripped. I fell into some old barbed wire at the funeral. Dad said it must have had a bit of a curse on it because it couldn't be completely healed." Remus had hoped that it would take them longer to get to that question, but at least he had his answer prepared. He was rather proud of himself for including a reason that he couldn't get it fixed by Madam Pomfrey. Hopefully, the other boys would let the subject drop.

"Cursed barbed wire?!" James' face was alight with adventure of it.

"No, James we are not going to a cemetary and picking up cursed barbed wire." Peter said in a resigned voice. He knew exactly what the other boy had been thinking.

"Dad took it to the ministry anyways." Remus interjected. He was a little alarmed. He hadn't thought they would want anything to do with the barbed wire.

"Oh, well, now tell me. Did the curse give you any special powers?" James asked. The excitement in his face had not dissipated. He continued to pepper Remus with questions all the way down to the Great Hall. Remus sighed as he plunged himself deeper and deeper into his lie. He was going to have to come up with less interesting lies. James obviously couldn't handle it. He had just started to theorize that it wasn't a curse at all, but a ghost that was now living in Remus' arm.

That one finally had Sirius snorting into his cup of pumpkin juice before coming to Remus' defense.

"He just got back from a funeral, maybe he wants a bit of peace." He said although the mirth still shone across his face for the "ghost arm" theory.

Remus smiled gratefully up at him. Sirius grinned back, but concern still seemed to be pushed aside as he glanced at Remus' arm. Remus realized that he had been unnaturally quiet for most of the meal. They all gathered their stuff to start towards class, and Remus struggled to pick up his heavy bag with one-hand. Sirius grabbed it without a word and began to head to their first class of the day waving off Remus muttered thanks.


	15. Chapter 15

"THAT WAS THE BEST NIGHT EVER!" Peter yelled. His ears still seemed to be clogged with large amounts of pulverized pumpkins. James grinned and slung an arm around Peter's shoulders. The four beamed as they made their way out of the Great Hall dodging the other students and their dirty looks. The Halloween prank had been a huge success. Every one of Hagrid's giant pumpkins had been liquified, and they doused the school in orange slime just as the dessert plates were disappearing.

Unfortunately, Professor McGonagall had caught an unabashed James, who had waved his wand with far too much gusto at the pumpkins nearest the Slytherin table. She had marched over to the boys at the most inopportune time and received a face full of pumpkin as a reward. Remus, who was looking up at the staff table, had caught the mirth that flashed across Professor Dumbledore's face before it was quickly replaced with a measured look of displeasure.

Professor McGonagall quickly waved her wand and dispersed of the pumpkin from her own robes and that of all the students around her except for Remus, Peter, James, and Sirius. She ordered them to follow her to her office, and the boys quickly traipsed behind her. Sirius' shoe still made a squashing sound with every other footstep.

Professor McGonagall was trying to get her temper under control. Usually students trembled or cried when she told them to go to her office, but these boys looked supremely unconcerned. In fact, Sirius and James kept miming student's reactions to their prank. Remus was the only one who looked at all ashamed, but that didn't stop a grin from flitting across his face every few minutes either. As she marched the four boys into her office, Professor McGonagall became more and more concerned. These were only first years, but chaos seemed to follow in their wake. Most of it wasn't ill-spirited or mean, but that didn't mean that she could let them off easy. She needed to find a way to nip this misbehavior in the bud.

"Sit down boys." McGonagall said and gestured to the four chairs that her wand had just conjured. She usually only had one or two students in her office at a time. Sirius and James immediately pulled their chairs together and continued to whisper conspiratorially to each other. "You disrupted a Hogwarts holiday and endangered your fellow students and staff members. I'm not sure what spell you used, but the consequences could have been dire if it had hit a student or been performed incorrectly."

"But Professor, we practiced for weeks. It wasn't going to hurt anybody. If it hit a student it just would have left a red welt." James interjected. He dodged all the subtle kicking that Remus was doing in an attempt to get him to shut up.

Professor McGonagall processed what he had said. She hadn't considered how much planning they must have put in to something like this and was relieved to know that they had taken other students' safety into consideration. When she allowed herself to think of it later that night, she would even admit that she was impressed by the boys' skill level. They were just first years after all.

"Forty points will be taken from Gryffindor, and you will each serve a detention. I will also be writing a note to send to each of your families about your dismal behavior. I expect better from young Gryffindors. You will report for your detention on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. Our caretaker, Mr. Filch, could use some help cleaning the trophy room. Now go straight back to Gryffindor Tower."

James and Peter continued to look unconcerned as their list of punishments was announced. It actually seemed like they got off fairly easily. Remus squirmed though when he realized that Professor McGonagall would be writing to his parents to tell them what a disappointment he was. Detention was no problem, but his parents had would be so disappointed in his behavior. He needed to be more careful, or Professor Dumbledore might rethink his decision to allow a werewolf to stay at Hogwarts.

Remus' reaction was nothing compared to the look on Sirius' face. He immediately went white when Professor McGonagall mentioned his parents and was silent as the boys went back up to Gryffindor tower. He hadn't heard from his parents since they had tried to move him from Gryffindor. Their silence from his life was uncharacteristic and wonderful. He would really miss it whenever they received this letter. Sirius was sure that consequences would be dire. He was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he nearly ran into Frank Longbottom, but Remus quickly put a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

Frank was grinning broadly at the younger students. "That was brilliant! Perfect way to end the evening." He said and clapped Sirius on the shoulder. Sirius grinned shyly back up at him, and they all walked into the common room together. Cheers erupted from some of the older student as the five boys entered. Apparently the Gryffindors weren't too concerned about being covered in pumpkin goo as long as it was for a good cause. Even Marlene McKinnon and Lily Evans had to cover their grins as James took a bow and the level of applause rose greatly.

"I'm just saying it was a public service to the school. Snivellus had to wash his hair after the incident. McGonagall should be thanking us, not locking us away in detention." James proclaimed as they scrubbed yet another trophy. He had been most displeased to find out that they were expected to clean the trophies without magic.

"Somehow I don't think Professor McGonagall would see it that mate." Sirius interjected while chuckling. Remus sighed. He wasn't a big fan of the growing animosity between James and Snape. He couldn't find it in himself to say anything though. The boys had already been shining the trophies for 2 hours and Filch did not come to release them for 2 more. They all ached as they trouped back up to the common room with exhaustion setting in. Everything but sleep was forgotten.

A/N: So I haven't gotten any reviews for the last few chapters which is fine but, let me know if I'm not going in a direction you want or if there is anything you want to see. Thanks!


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: Thanks to my two reviewers! It means a lot and helps me know if I am going in the right direction. Enjoy!

The next morning Sirius was nervous. The other boys picked up on his tension. James tried to lighten the mood by turning Sirius's hair pink, but it didn't have the desired effect. 20 minutes later, Sirius stormed out of the bathroom with darker hair that was still tinged pink. The other boys trailed meekly in his wake, and they all went down the Great Hall.

"Sirius, can you pass me the butter?" Peter asked timidly. Sirius pushed it across the table to Pete without looking at him. He was looking at the ceiling. He was waiting for the rush of feathers to come pouring into the Great Hall. The post had to be arriving soon, but Sirius had caught no sign of it yet. Finally, the cacophony of breakfast noises was interrupted by soft hooting and wing beats as the owls streamed in with letters and parcels.

Sirius strained his eyes for the prestigious bird carrying the maroon envelope of a howler, but he never saw it. The only owl that approached the four boys was the ruffled barn owl that belonged to James' parents. It dropped off a small package, affectionally nipped Peter's finger, and left with a gentle hoot. James opened the letter with a grin. It contained a scolding from Euphemia Potter and a plea for James to behave himself.

 _Or at least don't get caught!_ was scrawled at the bottom of the letter followed by Fleamont Potter's signature. Peter grinned at the leniency in the note. He didn't think his parents would care enough about the detention to send him a letter. He had only gotten one from his family since the start of term anyway. He helped himself to a cookie from the package that James' parents had sent. The oatmeal raisin melted in his mouth.

"Mum knows chocolate chip is my favorite." James sighed.

"It must be a tough life, you disobey and get sent your second favorite cookies. How ever shall you go on?" Remus smirked and grabbed a cookie from the box. Remus probably would hear from his parents, but they both worked lots of hours and probably hadn't had time yet.

Sirius surprised them all by reaching into the box and grabbing a handful of the small oatmeal cookies with a grin.

"Oy! Leave some for the rest of us!" James scolded, but he said it with a laugh.

"I don't know why I would. Euphemia obviously sent these for me. Oatmeal raisin is my favorite." Sirius retorted. He kept the smug look on his face for most of the morning's charm class. They were learning Lumos, a charm he had been taught early on and knew by heart. It was one of his favorites, essential for sneaking around after lights out.

The next few days followed the same pattern. He nervously awaited the post and the arrival of his parents' scolding. He knew that they would say that he was a disgrace to the Black family name. They always said that. Sirius was just trying to avoid the scene that it would cause if his mother sent a howler. After breakfast, he was able to relax with his friends until the next day. If they realized what was causing his anxiety, no one mentioned it.

When the owls came and went on the fifth day, Sirius had to admit that they weren't going to write him. Even Remus had heard from his parents a few days ago, with a letter that reminded him what a privilege Hogwarts was. Peter hadn't gotten any post either, but he hadn't expected to. Sirius could never remember a time where he was caught misbehaving and didn't get punished. He finally decided that maybe his family had given up on him. He was still in Gryffindor, maybe they didn't want anything to do with him anymore. It surprised him how much that bothered him.

A week after his detention, he was leaving Potion when he doubled back to pick up some parchment that he had left behind. A thin hand grabbed him by the shoulder and forced him into a broom closet. Sirius turned and found himself inches away from the tip of wand held by Narcissa, his cousin. He began to sweat. The girl was a fourth year now and was knee-deep into the family's black arts.

"Auntie Walburga would like me to remind you that anything you do wrong reflects poorly on the House of Black. It reflects poorly on my family." The girl said with a sneer. Her pale eyes stared deep into her cousins, and she raised her wand further.

"Please remember that you are not free from your family at Hogwarts, just as we are not free from you and the disgusting way you besmirch our name by hanging out with blood-traitors and half-bloods." The hate flowed freely from the girl's mouth, and Sirius wondered if she had ever doubted her allegiance to the family. He didn't think she had. They had never gotten on very well.

"Flagrate!" She yelled. Sirius had a moment to be taken by surprise by how serious the curse she used was, before he began to fight the fire that burst towards him. He tore off his sweater as she danced out with a flip of her blonde hair. The fire died almost instantly, but he had a large burn mark across one arm.

He left the still smoking sweater on the ground and exited the broom closet. His heart was still pounding from the encounter, and he started back towards Gryffindor tower with his parchment forgotten. Sirius ran into James who was heading off towards the direction of the nearest loo.

"Sirius, mate, where did you go?" James questioned as soon as the saw the boy. He quickly got quiet though at the state of Sirius's arm.

"Wha-what happened to you? Did someone do this?" James pressed. He grabbed Sirius' other arm and pulled him in the opposite direction towards the Hospital Wing.

Sirius panicked. He didn't want James to find out how messed up his family was. It wouldn't do the boy any good to get mixed up in the stupid drama of the Blacks, and as today proved, it could be dangerous.

"Just tell me who it was, and we will take care of them!" James insisted. The first-year looked so much older than he had just a few moments ago. His eyes were full of fierce determination.

Sirius knew he had to give James a name. James would never drop this.

"Snape, it was Severus Snape."


	17. Chapter 17

Madam Pomfrey healed Sirius' arm in about a minute. She had question for the boys about where the injury had come from, but Sirius would only mumble about a potion accident. James backed up his lie with gusto.

"He was trying to stop this large moth from dive-bombing into my potion and ruining it. The potion only called for 2 mothwings so Sirius was heroically trying to save my grade. Unfortunately, his robe got caught on the side of the table, and he fell right over the flame Madam." James lied with wide innocent eyes.

Madam Pomfrey knew that the burn was from a spell, but Sirius was now nodding enthusiastically along with James so she let the two of them go without further questioning. She would have to mention the incident to Albus though. Madam Pomfrey didn't like the idea of students using magic that dark in her school.

"That was bloody brilliant, mate" Sirius said and gave James a high-five once they were in the hall. "I'm a little afraid of you though. It was way to easy for you to come up with that lie"

"Heh, it's not my first time covering up a random accident. Usually if you start blathering about boring details people lose interest." James replied. "Now we just have to figure out what to do about Snivellus."

Sirius had an unpleasant twinge of guilt as James talked about revenge all the way back to the dorms. At least it wasn't like he had picked on someone innocent. Snape was a Slytherin git through and through. He probably deserved whatever James cooked up. He did find himself steering James away from the worst of the revenge plots though. Arguing that he did walk away with all of his limbs so perhaps they shouldn't actually maim the other boy.

"It would send a message." James fought back stubbornly. It was mainly in jest though. Sirius didn't think he was really capable of harming another student. James even got Peter and Remus involved. Remus objected until he heard about the Sirius' burn.

"His whole arm was red and blistered guys, and what's worse, is he seemed scared. He didn't even want to tell me about it. No one can pick on one of us like that." James whispered to the other boys late at night. Sirius was listening through his drawn curtains one bed away. He was beyond touched that the others were coming so strongly to his defense. Sirius rolled over trying to find a cool spot on his cotton pillowcase. He didn't want to think about how the other boys would feel if they knew it hadn't been Snape, but just the filth of his family spreading their hate. When he finally got to sleep that night, his dreams were filled with images of Peter, Remus, and James telling him that they didn't want to be friends with him anymore. They didn't want to associate with a Black.

James heard him whimper softly in his sleep, and his resolve strengthened. They would be taking care of Snape this morning. He quietly crept between the four-poster beds and roused Remus and Peter. They slipped out of the dormitory and left Sirius to sleep.

They returned to the dorm while Sirius was still getting ready for breakfast. Each boy looked exhausted and ever-present rings under Remus' eyes had darkened considerably, but they smiled victoriously at each other all morning. James refused to tell Sirius what they had done. He just kept telling him that they had taken care of some "urgent business".

Sirius knew his friends weren't cruel, but he did begin to worry when Snape still hadn't appeared by their mid-morning class together. Professor Binns barely noticed the boy's absence, his ghostly eyes gliding smoothly over the classroom before he began yet another lecture about the goblin wars of 1763. Or something with goblins in 1763, Sirius really couldn't be sure. If Remus didn't let James and Sirius look at his History of Magic notes, he was reasonably sure that they would fail every test.

When every class was over for the day and Snape still hadn't appeared, Sirius demanded answers from the others. "What did you do to him?!" He said tugging Remus arm to pull him aside in the classroom.

"Don't worry. We took care of it so he knows not to bother you again." Remus replied. Remus was beginning to think that they hadn't done enough if Sirius was this scared.

Snape finally was found right before dinner time. A second-year Hufflepuff kept telling her prefect that one of the knights of armor was watching her. The exasperated prefect had finally waved her wand at the armor to show the girl there was nothing there. To her surprise a greasy-haired Slytherin first year was found petrified in his boxers in the suit.

Snape told the professors that they had attacked him from behind a he made an early morning visit to the library. He hadn't seen their faces. Remus, James, and Peter shared satisfied looks at this. They had not concealed their identity and had just waited outside the general area they believed the Slytherin's dormitory to be until Severus had appeared. Snape liked to spend the early morning hours in the library or getting breakfast before the Great Hall became too crowded so he could avoid the mob of students. The other boys had used this to their advantage, but he would be ready for them next time.

When Snape passed the four boys in the hall the next day, he pushed Remus roughly up against the wall. "Don't think I have forgotten what you did, freak. I prefer to handle my revenge personally" He whispered before shoving the boy roughly and letting him go. Peter helped a grateful Remus off of the ground before turning with concern to Sirius and James.

"We might as well travel in pact for a while, mates. I mean there is no reason to make anyone a target, not that he could do much of anything the big git." James said. For the next few days though, the boys stuck closer together than ever. They could always feel Snape's eyes watching them, waiting patiently for an opening. He was smart enough not take on four at once.


End file.
